Mistletoe and Valentines
by Paulina Ann
Summary: *COMPLETE* When a Christmas holiday tradition goes wrong for Allura, can she make things right with Keith for Valentine's Day? Set during the Go Lion series. Rated T for safety, but probably more K. (Hidden Hearts is the sequel to this story.)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story and I make no profit from it. I just found it fun to do.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series but goes AU as none of this ever happened. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. J**

Reviews are nice as long as they are respectful. No flames please.

**Chapter One: Contemplation Doesn't Always Help**

Keith looked out over the castle lake towards Black Lion noting the sparking of the water and the current serenity of the tableau. The clear protective screen was currently enclosing the balcony so the crisp breeze that was blowing outside had no effect on him. In some ways, he wishes the screen was up so the brisk air could help clear his head. Allura had encourage the Voltron Force to celebrate their home planet traditions, so he, Lance, and Hunk had all taken it upon themselves to educate the Arusian's in the castle about some Earth holidays. It was because of these holidays and their traditions that he had come out on the balcony. He had to contemplate the imminent Valentine's Day holiday and the many possible ways that his friends and fellow pilots might try to push him into some awkward romantic scene with Allura.

Allura. His gaze moved from Black Lion to the lake that was home to her Blue Lion. In some ways, he thought ironically to himself, their lions were closer than they were. Well, at least in some aspects. Black and Blue were two lions in closest proximity to each other as Green, Yellow, and Red were all a few miles from the castle, but Black and Blue were only separated by about a half mile of water. The lions were made alike and were part of Voltron. Their purpose was the same. The more he thought, the more he could see that perhaps he and Allura were as close in nature as the lions. Together, they were part of Voltron and had the same purpose when they defended Arus. A slight smile came to his countenance as he lifted his face toward the sun, as for physical closeness…well, they were in the same castle and sat at the table together often. Except for the occasional directional touch to her elbow when walking or demonstration of moves when it was his turn to assist her with hand-to-hand combat techniques, he had managed to keep his distance… until a few weeks ago. After all, physical closeness was usually difficult when Nanny was never too far away with comments about those rough boys, or hooligans. Nanny actually cared for all them a great deal, although she tried hard to hide it behind her rough exterior. His smile started to fade. The comments were made as a reminder to team that Princess Allura was off-limits to all of them in the romance department. A prince and nothing less would do for the Princess that she had helped to raise from an infant.

How far apart were an Earth military pilot and a royal prince from a Denubian Galaxy planet? His head shook from side to side and he even let out a derisive chuckle. His eyes closed as his chin lowered to his chest. The answer to that question was too absurd to even consider, but if he chose to ask, he knew that Nanny would be able to describe the distance to the micron.

Enough thoughts about what he and Allura 'were' and 'were not' to each other, he said to himself as he walked back inside leaving Black Lion to stand guard. No need dwelling on what would never be. She had made it quite clear to him back at Christmas that she wasn't serious, that any flirting on her part was 'no big deal.' He thought his heart actually hurt as he recalled her words. He had to shake his head again, causing his dark hair to brush against his face as he worked to refocus his thoughts to what he needed to do to prepare for the holiday.

If he could just get the rest of the team, and especially Lance, to realize that Allura wasn't interested, he would avoid a situation like the one that had happened at Christmas. Even though he was alone, his face turned slightly red as he thought about the "mistletoe mischief" as he named it. Yes, he thought to himself as he walked toward the castle library, avoiding incidents like that was his primary goal. He was still reeling from the results of that prank and it had caused tension and stress to become the daily norm for him. The slow pace of his walk moved to a more brisk one as he strode towards the library. The library would be the perfect place for him to sit and contemplate Valentine's Day in solitude. Except for Allura, the rest of the team hardly ever visited the castle library as they were too much into other things to look through the dusty tomes that resided in the small interior castle room. Allura would be attending to royal duties from the surrounding villages and he would have a couple of hours of silent contemplation, with only the books, and perhaps one of the space mice, for company. It would be perfect.

As he entered the room, the lights came up to a soft glow – not too bright, but bright enough to read without straining your eyes. He truly enjoyed the castle library. So much knowledge, so much history, he couldn't get enough of it. He ran his fingers along a shelf of books about the flora and fauna of the Arusian southern hemisphere as he made his way to his favorite chair. The brown leather chair molded to his shape as he sank down in it and he put his feet up on the matching ottoman. He brought his fingers up to the bridge of his nose forming a steeple, trying to focus his thoughts and channel his mischievous side, which he kept under wraps so much, he was having problems accessing it. "What would they try? What would they try?" he thought over and over to himself. Obviously, they would all have other plans leaving him at the castle alone with the Princess, well, as alone as you could get in a castle filled with servants. They would probably orchestrate some romantic meal with candles or something, but then Nanny would be involved with the meal and she would make it something messy and have the lights turned up to their highest setting. Perhaps they would try to set up something where he had to take the Princess out on a horseback ride or a boat ride on the lake. He closed his eyes and leaned them forward on his fingers… there were just so many possibilities and they all made his cringe. Any of these possibilities would be catastrophes, as he and the Princess currently had a huge wall between them and he didn't think that she wanted to be in his company. After two hours of headache-inducing deliberation, there was only one course of action that he could come up with, since he was making up the duty the roster for the week, he would have to make sure that the shift assignments left no option but for him to be on night patrol and have duty in the Castle Control before the patrol on Valentines. He could tie up the rest of his day with Lion practice and GA paperwork. He nodded his head silently, this would work. The headache and softer lighting caused him to lean his head back on the leather chair and close his eyes. Having reached what he considered a completely plausible and workable plan for the holiday, he thought he deserved to rest his eyes for just a few minutes. If he had just glanced towards the vent located just to the right of the shelves holding books on Arusian history from four centuries ago, he would have noticed Cheddar peeking out at him and then disappearing into the darkness of the vent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story and I make no profit from it. I just found it fun to do.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series but goes AU as none of this ever happened. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. J**

Reviews are nice as long as they are respectful. No flames please.

**Chapter Two: Sometimes Things Just Happen on Their Own**

Cheddar was making his way to Pidge to give an update on the Commander and to receive the cheese reward that he was promised. Pidge and the rest of the team had asked Cheddar to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of the Commander as he had been hard to track when not attending to duties for the last couple of weeks. The team was determined to do a little match-making between the Commander and the Princess for Valentine's Day. They didn't see it as meddling as it was obvious to the team, but not to Allura and Keith, that they had feelings for each other, even though the last few weeks things seemed to have been strained between the Commander and the Princess.

Cheddar quickly found his way to Pidge. "Did you find Keith?" asked Pidge leaning over to give the dancing space mouse a cheesy reward. After a number of squeaks, Pidge had his answer of the castle library and Keith napping. "Thanks little guy, you've been a big help! I think you deserve another piece of cheese for this!" The chirping got really loud and fast and Pidge couldn't figure it out, but thought Cheddar was just excited about a second piece of cheese.

The reason for the increased volume became obvious as Pidge heard Allura ask, "What did Cheddar do to deserve TWO pieces of cheese?" She asked this with a smile and a giggle as she held her hand out for Cheddar to step on.

A sigh of relief escaped Pidge as he realized she hadn't heard him mention Keith, maybe he could salvage this if Cheddar didn't break and blurt out the task he had been assigned. "Ummm. I asked… I asked Cheddar to see is the rumors were true and Nanny fixed cheesecake for tonight's dessert," Pidge stuttered as he pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

"Well, that's all I need to know, as Nanny's cheesecake is your favorite and I assume that she must be making it as Cheddar is getting a reward," Allura said smiling at Pidge and Cheddar. Very gently, she leaned over and let Cheddar hop off onto a table, turned, and started walking away. Calling over her shoulder she said, "Now you boys don't get into any mischief! I'm heading to the library where nothing exciting happens except in the books."

Pidge broke into a huge grin as he moved over to give Cheddar a third piece of cheese. What he wouldn't give to know what would happen when Allura and Keith found themselves alone in the library together, and the team didn't even have to do anything to set it up. He would have to let the guys know about this. Perhaps Allura would be wrong and something exciting would happen in the quiet and private space of the library….


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. J**

**Author Note:** This chapter is a lot longer than the previous one, but I couldn't see a good way to break it up, and actually, I just didn't want to. :-)

**Chapter Three: Mistletoe Mischief**

_What happened about two months ago, right before Christmas…_

It had all begun when Lance started hanging mistletoe all around the castle so that he could steal a kiss from unsuspecting (or sometimes suspecting and eager) maids. While Nanny disapproved completely, and made a show of tearing down mistletoe whenever she found it, Allura merely giggled and said the space explorers should be able to have some of their holiday traditions too. Allura seem to enjoy finding the mistletoe around the Force (when Nanny wasn't around). She would even call out to them that she was standing under the greenery. Some member of the Force, or even Coran, would always go give her a friendly peck on the cheek; however, it was never Keith.

"Just give it up, will ya?" Hunk called from the snack area of the Rec Room as three member of the Force lounged around listening to music.

Lance snickered and replied, "I'm not going to 'give it up' Hunk. I know those two have feelings for each other and if they would just kiss, I KNOW they would figure it out."

"Well, I think you're right about the feelings," Pidge added in as he put both feet up on the coffee table, "but you don't want to get Keith angry about you meddling or embarrass Allura."

Lance broke out with a loud laugh. "Allura embarrassed? Have you seen how much she's been enjoying hunting out all the mistletoe I've been hanging up? There's no embarrassment there. Can you deny that if Keith is in the room with us and she's under the mistletoe, that she looks at him first? She wants him to kiss her, but he won't even look in her direction if there is a piece of mistletoe in the room."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Hunk said while chewing a piece a summer sausage, "it's like he's on a military scouting mission every time he walks into a room: find the mistletoe and eliminate the threat!" All the guys started laughing at the mental picture of Keith, stalking and hunting down the evil mistletoe.

The door swished open and Allura walked in. "What's so funny?" she asked. "It must be really good to cause that much laughter."

Lance jumped in before anyone else could answer, "We were just talking about all the fun we've had with the mistletoe, except for Hunk and Pidge's experiences of having to kiss Nanny under the mistletoe."

Allura's bright laughter came out as her eyes moved from Pidge, who was sticking his tongue out, to Hunk, who just shrugged his shoulders. "You're joking! Nanny hates the mistletoe tradition!"

"Well, actually Princess, Nanny hates the tradition when it comes to you and kisses but she seems to love the mistletoe tradition for herself," Pidge added in, still with a slightly disgusted look upon his face. "She's already got Hunk, me, Coran, and Keith. Only Lance has managed to avoid her."

Allura's smile dimmed a little as she turned a thoughtful face to Lance. "She's gotten Keith to kiss her?"

Lance gave her a serious look straight in the eyes and said, "Yes she has. I think she has gotten him twice. Both while he was trying to sneak around the kitchen." He thought to himself, "she knows, she has to, that Keith has feelings for her and he's not avoiding the mistletoe, he's avoiding her AND the mistletoe." Allura was not one to give up on a challenge, so the question that intrigued the lieutenant now was, "What is she going to do about it?"

He got his answer about thirty minutes later as Hunk and Pidge started talking mechanics and hydraulics regarding the lions and he moved over to change the music to a different station. Allura came up beside him and glanced back to be sure that Hunk and Pidge weren't interested in her conversation.

"Lance, can I have some of your mistletoe? I have a few spots I'd like to hang it myself." There was a gleam in Allura's eyes as she said it.

"Anything for the Princess of Arus. When would you like to have it?"

"Before tomorrow afternoon if you don't mind Lance." Allura glanced back at the other two pilots. "And I'd like to keep it a secret from everyone."

Lance's eyes now held the gleam as he responded in a conspirator whisper, "I'll treat it like a state secret."

Lance was true to his word and left the box right inside her chamber door sometime after they had their morning Lion practice. Allura picked up the box and thought back to the morning. She had felt a little guilty at breakfast when Lance would catch her eye. She knew that he had some inkling of what she was planning. Her guilt melted away like the butter on her pancakes, however, when she saw Nanny and knew that Nanny had gotten at least two kisses from the man she would love to have just one real kiss from. A sigh escaped her as she took the box over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. If she were truthful with herself as she fell back across the bed staring at her ceiling with a dreamy look, she would admit that she wanted more than one kiss.

Allura put the box to the side, knowing that in just a few hours, she would put her plan into action.

_Three hours later…_

Allura rushed back to her room. Her time attending to royal duties had taken her longer than she had expected. Coran had brought an additional village request to her attention that need to be looked at immediately and couldn't wait. She hoped that she gave it the concern it was due, but she had to admit she was distracted by her plan for the mistletoe and that she may have to revisit that village request tomorrow. She quickly changed into some jeans and a soft sweater. She didn't want her first kiss with Keith to be in that pink gown that Nanny always favored for her royal duties. She gave herself a last look in the mirror and pulled out the pin that held her hair in a bun and watched as her golden curls fell down to frame her face. There. Now she was ready. She turned and walked purposefully out the door only to go a few steps and return to her room to get the mistletoe and sticky gum that she would need. "Boy, I really am distracted!"

She checked the corridor that housed Keith's office and saw no activity but she had to be sure, so she checked two more corridors that intersected with Keith's hallway. "Okay Allura, this is it," she whispered out loud to herself. Now that the moment was here, she was suddenly nervous. The Christmas holiday would soon be over and with it, the mistletoe and this opportunity would be gone for a year. With that in mind, she got out the materials and put the mistletoe in place, right over the doorway into Keith's office. Getting the mistletoe above the door was a challenge as she didn't bring a stool and she couldn't go in Keith's office to get anything to stand on. She took one last worried look up at the mistletoe. Hopefully, it would stay in place and he would think that Lance had put it up and not her. Her face turned red as she thought about what he would think if he knew she put the greenery there.

Allura drew a calming breath. She was going to follow through on this. She had thought of a reason that she needed to speak to him so she was ready for any questions that might come up, but then, hopefully questions wouldn't be on his mind if they were kissing. A soft smile came to her face and a twinkle to her eye as she stood right in the doorway and hit the buzzer.

Keith's eyes were crossing as he was finishing a second hour of pilot performance reports for Gallaxy Alliance when he heard the door buzzer. He was glad someone was here as he needed a break. "Come in." He looked expectantly towards the door but no one entered. The door buzzed again. "Come in," he said, this time a little louder. The door remained irritatingly closed. If it was Lance, or someone playing a joke, he wasn't in the mood. He moved briskly toward the door and it opened automatically for his exit.

Allura really had been standing directly in the doorway, so when Keith exited, he bumped right into her, grabbing her arms to prevent her from failing. Allura let out an involuntary, "Oh!" as their bodies came into contact with one another.

Keith's eyes widen with surprise when he realized that he was holding Allura by the arms. "Princess! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you! Are you okay?" Questions were coming out of Keith's mouth one after the other.

"I'm fine," Allura replied softly and then lifted her eyes to look right above Keith's left shoulder.

He wondered if she could feel the quick pace of his heartbeat as he looked at her sapphire eyes. From the direction she was gazing, there was something in the doorway over him and he knew what it had to be. He was going to kill Lance. There was no way out, he hadn't prepared for something like this and now that he was caught off-guard he was going to have to give her a kiss. To buy himself a moment, he turned his head to follow her gaze and saw the offending greenery hanging there. Well, at least the guys weren't here to witness it. He squinted at the mistletoe, it looked like it was getting ready to fall. Lance must have been in a big hurry.

Allura had to get Keith's attention back. He was looking way too hard at that mistletoe. Allura cleared her throat, perhaps not the most romantic thing, but it did get Keith to turn back to her. He started to lean down to give her a kiss on the cheek and she didn't want him to give her the same friendly kiss that all the other Force members had given her. His warm hands were already holding her arms and she wondered if he could feel her trembling as she moved her arms up quickly to go around his neck and she leaned in to kiss him on the mouth. When her arms had moved up to his neck, his arms had moved reflexively to go around her back. She sighed against his mouth as she felt him tighten his embrace.

Keith had heard Allura clear her throat and turned to give her the friendly kiss when she suddenly put her arms around his neck as his lips met hers. His arms snaked around her to keep her from falling, but he knew his arms went there for another purpose that had nothing to do with her falling. He could feel her warmth through the soft sweater. He didn't hear her sigh as his blood was pounding in his ears as he felt her soft lips against his. He didn't think, he just acted and kissed her back and then brought his hands up to entwine in her hair that was cascading down her back. He thought he might have groaned as they deepened their kiss with their bodies pressed close together, oblivious to everything around them.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Keith's computer was indicating he had an incoming message. It broke him out of the dazed stupor that kissing Allura had put him in. As he broke from their embrace, he didn't realize that he had been leaning against the doorframe, pinned there by Allura when she had initiated the kiss. Allura watched the passion leave his eyes as they widened and looked at her in disbelief.

"What have I done," he thought in dismay to himself. "Princess Allura, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," he said out loud to her with deep regret as he looked away from her. He needed time to sort out what happened. He rather formally said to her, "Please accept my apologies for this offence. I will have a tray sent here to my office so that I won't embarrass you tonight by dining with you."

"Keith, you don't have to-"

"Yes Allura, I do." He brought a serious gaze to bear on her.

She knew that the vulnerability she had seen in him just a few moments ago when they kissed was gone. He was back in Commander mode. How she hated Commander mode at the moment.

"Allura…Princess. I am the senior Gallaxy officer on Arus. I am both your commanding officer as a Lion pilot and your subordinate in royal affairs." He cringed a little at his use of 'affairs.'

She tried once again to interrupt and to try to diffuse the situation, "Keith, it wasn't a big deal!" As soon as she said it, she knew that her choice of words at this moment was far worse than his choice had been. She saw some kind of barrier go up behind his eyes. She was glad for just a moment, because she realized it had been a "big deal" for him. Her gladness faded away quickly…

Keith looked at her with disbelief that turned quickly into a shield to protect his feelings. Is that what the kiss had been to her? He had felt like his world had turned upside down and his heart was going to burst during that kiss. Was it nothing more to her than a fun tradition or perhaps a prank that she wanted to pull on the serious commander?

She could see that he had shut down. She would not be able to get through to him this afternoon. It was going to take time.

"I'm glad that it wasn't 'a big deal' for you Princess. I would never want to hurt you or cause you distress. However, as I was saying, it was inappropriate for me to behave as such with a member Arusian royalty. I will, for the moment, keep my distance."

"If… If that's what you want," Allura said looking at him and wondering how such a wonderful moment could have gone so badly, so quickly.

"It is," Keith replied stiffly. "If you do not feel this needs an official repri-"

"No Keith! No! I don't want you to have an official reprimand! Don't you think you're going overboard?" A touch of anger was starting to come out in Allura's tone. What was he thinking? A reprimand for a kiss? She had had numerous kisses from the Force members since the mistletoe had come out and he had never said anything like this about them…. And then it hit her. It was because it was the two of them and the kiss was much more than those kisses.

She was broken out of her train of thought by seeing the glare on his face as he replied, "Thank you for not requesting a reprimand. I will impose my own version of a punishment for inappropriate behavior."

He took her elbow and led her to the office door as the computer continued to beep. As soon as both of her feet were out of his office, his hand dropped from her elbow as if on fire. He took a step back into his office and the door closed on her looking at him. Keith leaned his head against the door after he keyed it so it wouldn't automatically open with his touch. Just touching her elbow had been hard to do after the kiss and the almost argument that they had had. "What am I going to do?" he asked himself out loud.

Right after the door closed on Keith, she heard him key it to locked. So the door and Keith were both closed to her. She jumped back as something fell on her and she looked down with distain at the greenery that had brought this misery upon her. No, that was wrong, she had used this simple tradition for her own purposes, without a thought as to what the repercussions would be. She would have to take responsibility for it. She would have to undo the damage the she had done. She just didn't know how.

If Keith had only realized that Allura was the instigator of everything that happened, the events of the next few hours, days, and weeks might have happened differently.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. **

**Chapter Four: Hatching a Plan**

_Back to present time with Keith napping in the library and Allura on the way._

Allura hummed softly to herself as she left Pidge and Cheddar in the hallway. She was looking forward to having cheesecake tonight herself. She was just deciding if she would have chocolate or strawberry sauce on her slice when the door to the library swished open and she entered. She was still humming as she headed over to the bookcase containing some maps of land of the far-side of Arus. Her hand had just reached out for a volume when, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Keith asleep in the chair.

Her breath caught in her throat and her hand froze in mid-air and she could hear her own heartbeat. Her hand dropped slowly to her side and she turned her body towards him. She took this time to gaze at him as he slept. She didn't even blush about it, after all, she had watched him sleep far too many times in the castle hospital. Those had been times of stress for her and ultimately relief and joy since he had lived. The four non-Arusian pilots had put their lives on the line many times for her planet, and in the case of Keith, he had put his more often than his teammates on the line for her personally.

Her brow wrinkled as she thought about what she should do now. This was the first time she had been alone with him in weeks. He had made it a point to always be in a room with someone else when they were together. She wondered if this was part of his self-imposed punishment for the behavior he thought of as inappropriate. She almost growled out loud in frustration as she thought of how self-righteous he had been and not allowing her to explain anything, not that she wanted to say that she had hung the mistletoe, but she was willing to admit that she had planned the kiss on the lips. She never had the chance… She needed the chance… She thought for a few moments and then she had a plan.

Allura moved quickly to the ottoman in just a few strides and pushed Keith's legs off of it. He awoke with a start and a glare as he looked to see who was there. When his dark eyes landed on Allura with her own glare and crossed arms, they widened in alarm as he realized they were alone in the library. How long had he been asleep? How long had she been in the library? He glanced at his watch, saw the time and stood up abruptly and said, "My patrol shift is in 20 minutes, I've got to run."

"Not so fast Commander," Allura said with authority as she moved to block his path. "You've been avoiding me and discussing what happened a few weeks ago, and I. AM. TIRED. OF. IT."

Keith turned his gaze towards the floor, not bothering to deny it, after all, what was the point, it was true. His unsure gaze returned to her beautiful but stern face. "I still have Lion patrol. I do have to go."

"Yes, I'm sure you really do have Lion patrol. You've put yourself on it more than anyone else," the Princess said as her tone expressed her irritation and displeasure, "and I noticed that I never have the shift before or after you, so you never have to see me to get a report or to report to. It's worked up until now. I WILL be waiting for you in Castle Control when you get off of patrol. You will NOT avoid me. If I have to make it a royal order, I will. Do I need to do that Commander?"

Keith had rarely seen her so angry. Her arms were now crossed in front of her and she was glaring at him even more than she had been before; she was awaiting an answer. He shook his head from side to side, causing his dark hair to move forward framing his face. "No, you don't have to make it an order. I'll see you at Castle Control after my patrol." Only after he said this did she move to the side to allow him to pass. He could feel her eyes boring into his back, he didn't look back as he was sure she was scowling. He would have been surprised to see that she was smiling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. **

**Chapter 5: The Set-Up**

Keith had problems concentrating during his Lion patrol as his thoughts were constantly going either back in time to the kiss or to earlier in the evening when Allura confronted him. She had seemed so angry in the library. His hands moved across the controls to alter the port stabilizer as his thoughts moved to what she was going to say. Keith believed that she was going to rake him across the coals for his avoidance of her and the tension that he had brought to the team. The tension was there. It was at every meeting now, every debriefing, every meal that he attended with her. He turned his eyes back towards the viewscreen to see the Castle of Lions and the pedestal of Black Lion. She was right, they did need to talk. Hopefully, she would listen to a second apology and be willing to let it go and what would be harder, he would have to let go of the feelings that had come to the surface so passionately during that kiss. The emotions that had come out of his heart with that kiss would be harder to let go of, or lock back up, but she had said that it was 'no big deal.' He was the one that had made an issue of it and now that he thought about it, the way he had been acting was more like a child pouting, or sulking, than a Galaxy Garrison Commander.

As he exited from Black Lion into Castle Control, he found the Princess waiting for him as she had promised with her arms still crossed. He walked up to stop an arm's length in front of her and looked her coolly in the eye as he stood straight and tall with his military bearing, still managing to look more relaxed than he had in weeks. Seeing his relaxed manner, Allura reevaluated what she would say. Perhaps Keith was more receptive now to hearing her out. Plan B would now be in effect.

"Thank you Commander for speaking with me. I don't want to argue and I really don't want to talk this late at night when we both have put in a full day of work."

A perplexed look came across Keith's face as he said, "But you said wanted to talk tonight."

"I did, and we have. I was afraid if I set up something for tomorrow, you'd find a way around it, royal order or not." Allura gave a soft smile as she said it to make sure that he knew that she wasn't angry. "I'd like for just the two of us to have dinner and talk."

"The team will find it odd that we're eating together without them. I don't want them to think…." He stopped there, as he didn't want to say anything else that would make assumptions about their relationship.

A tinkling giggle escaped her lips. "Oh, Keith, it's okay. I've already spoken to the team. Don't worry," she said as she noticed the fear in his eyes that the team would think they were having a date, "I didn't tell them that we would be eating together. I just asked about their plans for Thursday night." She laughed again as she watched him try to figure it out.

Keith frowned a little as he tried to work out this new twist that the Princess had thrown at him. Plans. The team would have other plans. Plans for dinner two nights from now. Oh! She was planning for the two of them to eat together. On Valentine's Day. His eyes grew wider, but all he said was, "Whatever you think is best Princess." He had been avoiding her long enough, and he didn't want her turn all 'royal' on him and make it royal command.

Keeping her eyes steady on him, she replied, "Thank you Commander. Now, if we can try to show a little more civility towards eat other tomorrow at breakfast, that will be pleasant for everyone." Keith merely nodded. Allura turned to walk out of the room breathing a huge sigh of relief. That conversation had gone much better than she could have hoped. A mischievous smile that hadn't been seen since that awful day reappeared on the Princess' face. As she exited the room with a spring in her step, she thought, "It's late, I'll have to update Lance tomorrow when Keith is on patrol again."

Keith couldn't help but watch the sway of her hips as she left the room. They were going to have dinner alone on Valentine's Day. Perhaps this would be the best self-imposed punishment he could give himself. Dinner alone with the woman he loved, but couldn't have, and who thought that a passionate kiss from him was no big deal. Yep, that was a punishment that even Nanny would approve of.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild.**

**Author's Notes: **Thank you for the kind reviews! At least the ones so far have been kind. ;-)

**Chapter Six: Finalizing Plan B**

The next day as Keith was flying patrol, Lance found his way to Princess Allura's royal office. Lance dropped into a soft chair in the seating area of the office and threw a leg over one of the chair arms. Allura laughed at him and came over to the seating area to join him. Her docket was clear for an hour and she thought that would be enough time to finalize her plan. Well her plan with some special additions from Lance.

"Okay, enough of the smiles and glances! You're killing me! What happened last night when you confronted Keith?" The eagerness was apparent in Lance's voice and she would have felt guilty about telling him about conversations between her and Keith, but she needed his help. He was also Keith's best friend and he was worried about him too. Lance had come to her less than a week after the kiss to ask what was going on and she had broken down in his arms, crying and telling him everything. He hadn't judged her, teased her, or berated her. He just held her and asked how he could help.

"Well, he seemed relaxed and was able to look me in the eye, which is something he hasn't been able to do in a long time." With a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her lovely face, she said, "I decided to go with Plan B."

Lance quickly moved both feet to the floor and leaned forward. "Plan B huh? Feeling pretty confident are we?"

The twinkling eyes were now accompanied by an infectious laugh. "If Keith had kissed you like he did me, you'd have a reason for confidence too."

Lance snorted. "No thanks Princess. Keith wouldn't have tried to kiss me since all he thinks about is you, and if I had tried to kiss Keith under the mistletoe, I don't think I'd be out of the med facility yet!" At that, they both laughed. "So, you have the meal and location planned and arranged? Nanny isn't going to interfere?"

Allura nodded, "Yes, planned, arranged, and Nanny occupied. I admit it wasn't easy to get her to leave the castle on Valentine's Day but with all of you, except Keith, being out on dates, and Keith and I being on the outs, she felt like it was safe."

"Princess, she is going to be furious if she finds out-"

"Lance, if she finds out and she's furious, then that means Plan B worked and I will be very happy. I'll deal with Nanny AND Coran when the time comes."

A low whistle came out of Lance's mouth as he once again leaned back in the chair. "You really are sure of yourself. I like this in you." A large, toothy grin spread across Lance's face. "Keith isn't going to know what hit him. Now, let's get back to the plan. How are you going to get him to the location?"

"I'm going to tell him that I don't want to be interrupted or overheard by kitchen staff and that should do it. You know how private he is and the thought of anyone overhearing us talk about THAT would mortify him. In addition, my threat of the 'royal command' has been sufficient to motivate him so far."

Lance nodded his head thoughtfully. So far, everything the Princess said made sense, but there were a couple of items he wasn't sure she had thought out. "So what are you wearing?"

Blue eyes turned to gaze at him.

"Did you plan what you wore the day of the mistletoe incident?" As she nodded and blushed a becoming shade of pink, he continued, "Then your attire for this event is even more important. If Keith didn't think the kiss meant anything to you, you need to dress to show him that he means something to you now."

"That makes a lot of sense Lance."

"And whatever you do, don't wear that pink gown! Keith hates it. Actually, we all hate it." Lance had a look that implied that he was going to be sick.

Allura's laughter broke in as she said, "I don't really care for it myself, but I wear it to appease Nanny. Nanny will be far, far, far from my mind on Valentine's! You know a lot of my dresses. Is there one that you think he likes?"

Silence stretched and Allura started to grow a little uncomfortable as she wondered if all her clothes were hideous. Could Lance really not think of a dress that Keith would like? "Lance?"

"Princess, would you be opposed to a short shopping trip to the village tomorrow afternoon? It's not that you don't have some things that would work, but going out and purchasing a dress especially for this dinner will send another message about it being a special event."

Leaning forward in her chair, Allura said, "Now I see why the girls all love you, you can think like us!"

Lance was nodding yes, when he processed what she said and started saying, "No, No, No! I do NOT think like a girl!" But even he was laughing as he said it.

They worked on a few more details and then it was time for Allura's next appointment. Before he left, he gave her a hug and when he went to break away, she held on. "Lance, what if I'm wrong-"

"Princess! What happened to your confidence?" He pulled back to look her in the eye. "This WILL work. Now I better go before Keith comes and find me holding you." Allura's smile and laugh were back in an instant as they broke apart and Lance headed toward the door. Right before he triggered the door sensor, he turned back to her. "You think I'm joking Princess, but Keith does love you, and I think he'd beat me black and blue if he thought I was putting moves on you." Allura turned a dark shade of red as Lance triggered the door and headed out.

Sitting back down behind her desk, Allura closed her eyes and thought about everything she and Lance had talked about. The smile on her lips was also in her eyes as she opened them. She needed to clear some time on her schedule to dress shop.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Voltron characters. This is a "for fun only" story.**

**Setting & Rating: Takes place sometime during the Go Lion original series. Rating of Teen but hardly even that as it's very mild. **

**Author's Notes: **This completes this particular story. I thought the way this one ended brought a satisfactory conclusion to the events. I have already started on a sequel so if you want to know what happens next, be on the watch for it in a few weeks. Thanks for the kind comments! I like for Allura to be strong and vulnerable and well, I kinda like Keith to be the same. :-) Thanks again!

**Chapter Seven: Valentine's Day**

Keith had been edgy all day. Tonight was his dinner with Allura. He shouldn't be so concerned, they were just having dinner in the dining hall like usual. The only difference is the other guys wouldn't be there. Burying himself in work for the afternoon, he didn't notice that the team didn't ask or tease him about having a date or not having a date for Valentine's. He would have found that very suspicious if he wasn't so anxious about the evening.

Keith glanced one more time in the mirror. True, it wasn't a date, but wearing his red flight suit just didn't seem appropriate for a meal and discussion of this importance. The black slacks and white dress shirt weren't his typical style, but when you're having a Valentine's meal with a princess that you're trying to apologize to, well, sometimes you have to do a little more. He was just leaving his room when his com badge buzzed.

"Keith here."

"Keith, it's Allura. There's been a change in the location of dinner. I've had it moved to the balcony overlooking Castle Lake. Now before you object, let me explain. I thought with the topics we will be discussing, it would be best not to have too many ears around."

After only a slight pause, Keith responded, "Agreed. I'm on my way."

Allura smiled. Everything was going well. She could hear the displeasure in his voice at the location change. Keith liked being in charge and in control, and at the moment he was neither.

Keith arrived at the balcony and saw that everything for the meal was already there. There wouldn't be any maids or waiters needed to serve anything, they would be alone. He would have to hold his decision on whether this was a good thing or a bad thing until later. What did concern him slightly were the candles that were burning on the table. They made everything look …romantic.

The moonlight reflecting off the lake drew him to the balcony rail and he smiled as he looked toward Black Lion. The glass shield was still down. He wished they could have it up so they could feel the breeze, but the temperatures were a little cool. A sound behind him drew his attention and he turned around. His breath caught in his throat as he looked her up and down. She was wearing a dress he had never seen before. Actually, he had never seen so much of her since the time she wore that bikini. The dress had a halter-type top and was made of a clingy, sparkly blue material. He didn't know what it was called, but it clung to her curves and drew his eyes down to where the fabric stopped a couple of inches above her knees. His eyes continued down her shapely legs to see her feet encased in some silver high heels. With her hair loose around her shoulders, she was stunning. He was also confused. This dress didn't seem right for the occasion. It seemed more like a dress for… a Valentine's date.

When Allura stepped onto the balcony, she saw Keith silhouetted by the moonlight. Beyond him she could see his Black Lion. How alike they both were and her feelings of being protector by him came bubbling up in her heart. He would always protect her. She knew this with every fiber of her being.

She brought her thoughts back to the meal and her plan. Her excitement and nervousness grew as she anticipated his reaction to her dress and when he turned around, she wasn't disappointed. A blush crept into her cheeks as his gaze slowly travelled up and down her body. She could also feel the heat between them already, she just had to close the distance.

"Princess-"

"Allura. Tonight, call me Allura."

Keith continued as though he hadn't heard. "Princess, I don't understand all this."

Allura thought she detected a note of fear in his voice, something she didn't hear often from the Commander. She knew that she had thrown him completely off-balance and that everything about the way things looked on the balcony shouted, no, screamed, ROMANTIC DATE! This wasn't at all what he was expecting and it was time she let him in on what was going on.

Allura walked over to Keith and stopped about two feet away so that they could easily look each other in the eye. This was important. He needed to see her sincerity. As she walked, she thought about how handsome he looked in such simple clothes; she had bought these clothes for the boys awhile back but they just didn't wear them often. The clothes were tailored well, and showed off Keith's broad shoulders and narrow waist. Even though the clothes weren't fitted, you could tell he was muscular. She had to break those thoughts off as her blush increased. When she stopped, she took a moment to draw a deep breath and start her confession.

"I know that you thought tonight was about us discussing your "inappropriate behavior." He nodded. "But you are wrong; I need to apologize for MY inappropriate behavior."

"Prin- Allura, you're not making any sense. I'm the one who kissed you and… and…" Keith stopped as he didn't know how to describe how he had embraced her and deepened the kiss. He wanted to look away from her eyes, but they held his in place.

"Keith, Lance did not put the mistletoe above your door. I did."

He continued to stare at her, not comprehending. "I don't understand. Why would you do that?"

Allura knew now that she was going to have to spell it out for him. She didn't break eye contact but continued, "Because you had avoided kissing me, and I learned that you had kissed Nanny twice. I didn't think it was fair that Nanny got to kiss the man that I wanted to kiss; the man who consistently went out of his way to avoid kissing me under the mistletoe."

The shields that had been in place behind Keith's eyes ever since the day of the kiss were beginning to lift as understanding started to take hold in his mind. "You wanted me to kiss you? You put the mistletoe over the door? You ignored my summons to enter so I'd come to the door?"

She had said a soft, "Yes," after each of his questions. Keith's eyes continued to stay locked with hers, but she knew he had closed the distance between them so that she had to look up at him.

His voice was quiet and husky as he asked the most important question to him. "Allura, was the kiss a 'big deal'?

This was it, the statement she had made that she knew hurt him the most. This was finally her chance to make it right with him. To make it right for both of them. She kept her eyes locked on his now vulnerable dark eyes as she put her hands on his chest and slid them up his body. She could feel his muscles tense and the heat that was coming from him. His eyes finally broke from hers as he looked down to her hands as she touched him and he drew in a sharp breath. His eyes quickly returned to hers as her arms found their way around his neck and her fingers weaved through his raven black hair. She still hadn't answered him, but as she pulled his face down to hers and their lips were only a breath apart, she whispered, "Yes."

He had managed to keep his arms at his side until this point, but now he felt free to return the embrace that Allura was offering. This time as their lips met, they both knew what they wanted. Allura still had both hands entwined in Keith's thick hair, not willing to let go. She let out a soft moan as Keith deepened the kiss and she felt his hand on her bare back. Where he touched her felt on fire but she didn't want it to stop, she wanted to be consumed by it.

As Keith pulled back from the kiss, Allura moved with him, prolonging the kiss for a moment longer. Their arms remained around each other as they gazed into each other's eyes. Keith brought a hand to Allura's face, tracing her jaw line from her ear down to her chin and then tracing across her swollen lips. He was looking at his finger on her lips as he said, "Well, my Princess, if you have any royal commands, I think I'm willing to follow them."

Gone was the self-recriminating look that he had been displaying so long. Gone was the pain and doubt. Allura felt a peace within herself. She just wished that she had found the courage to do this sooner so that he would not have hurt for so long.

With a mischievous twinkle in her eye she replied, "As the Princess of Arus, I command you to kiss me until I'm breathless."

As he leaned in to her lips again, he stopped just before touching them. She could feel his breath on her lips, "I am yours to command, Your Highness."

Ah, breathless could be a VERY good thing…


End file.
